Cambridgeshire's guided busway near Addenbrooke's Hospital

THE maiden voyage on the world’s longest guided busway will take place on Sunday with hoards of enthusiasts expected to jump on board in Cambridgeshire.

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With a somewhat winding journey to the start line, the guided busway route was finally handed to Cambridgeshire County Council by contractors BAM Nuttall in April – two years late.

And although the legal wrangling between the council and BAM Nuttall over a potential overspend of £71 million rumbles on, all involved with the Busway are pinning their hopes on Sunday heralding a new era for Cambridge commuters.

With tracks stretching 16 miles from St Ives to Orchard Park and the Science Park and then from Cambridge station through to Addenbrooke’s, it is hoped its specialist buses will cruise past 
traffic queues on the A14 and in the 
city centre.

Bus operators Stagecoach and Whippet will operate the buses designed to travel both on the tracks and road, and a new Busway smartcard was launched this week which allows passengers to travel on both services with one ticket.

The guided busway in Essen, Germany

Andy Campbell, managing director of Stagecoach, said extra buses will be available for Sunday’s service.

Mr Campbell said: “I think there will be a fair bit of interest from both the public and bus enthusiasts.

“We have looked forward to the 
Busway launching for some time and are delighted that it is finally happening on Sunday.”

While Cambridge First has reported that, in public transport terms, the world’s eyes will be on the success of Cambridgeshire’s guided busway following interest from the US, Sweden and elsewhere in the UK, transport bosses are similarly encouraged by busways launched across the globe since the 1980s.

Head of Busway delivery at Cambridgeshire County Council Bob Menzies said: “We studied other busways before choosing the specification for the system in Cambridgeshire to make sure we achieved a high quality route that delivered a very smooth ride for passengers.

“The beams are key to getting a smooth track and our beams are cast in moulds as was done for the Essen busway in Germany.

“During the construction people from around the world have been in touch with us and I’m sure they are eagerly anticipating the opening later this 
week as much as many people in 
Cambridgeshire.”

The world’s first guided busway opened in the German city of Essen 
in 1980.

Although it uses just 5.2 km of track, it has an average of 23,000 weekday boardings, exceeding the 3.5 million trips a year Cambridgeshire County Council initially hopes our busway 
will attract.

Spokesman for the Essen guided busway, Professor Hanz Ahlbrecht, said: “Our busway has attracted many spectators, visitors and experts from all over the world.

“We have had people from Cambridgeshire County Council here as our busway has replaced an old railway 
line like in Cambridge.

“We have greenery on the busway grown up through nature which makes it look attractive.”

Soon to be the world’s second largest operating busway, the Adelaide O-Bahn Busway in South Australia opened in 1986 and boasts 10km of track.

It attracts an average of 28,500 weekday boardings, up 16.3 per cent from 24,500 a decade ago.

Spokesman for the Adelaide O-Bahn Busway, Sam Rodrigues, said: “The 
corridor has been reinvigorated over the years to adapt to a capacity that now effectively equates to providing one 
bus service every minute in peak 
commuting periods.”

There are also successful guided busways operating in Scott Hall Road in Leeds, east Leeds and Bradford.

Martin Driver, a spokesman for Metro in West Yorkshire, said: “Guideways have proved popular with passengers and along the three routes where we 
have introduced them, have resulted 
in rises as high as 12 per cent in 
passenger numbers.”

Cambridge First will be giving a full commentary on Sunday’s launch. Join our live blog at www.cambridgefirst.co.uk where timetables can also be viewed.